Baltimore Ravens 21, Tennessee Titans 0 – Oct. 14, 2018

Key Coaching Decision #1: (BAL ball, no score / first-and-10 / 10:36 Q1)
• The Ravens began a drive backed up near their own goal line. Their first possession came after a strong defensive effort (back-to-back sacks) on the Titans’ first drive. Baltimore began a scoring drive that lasted more than nine minutes with a deep pass down the left side of the field from quarterback Joe Flacco to veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree.

• This was part of the Ravens’ week-long plan to get Crabtree involved in the offense early. It was as much about taking advantage of his skill as it was about getting his confidence back after key drops at the beginning of the season, including in the end zone against the Browns in Week 4.

• The Ravens went back to Crabtree two more times on the first drive, including on the final play of the drive, a four-yard touchdown. He ended the game with 6 catches for 93 yards. The intention and follow-through to get Crabtree in the gameplan was a smart one.

Key Observations:

BALTIMORE
• This was a dominant Ravens performance.

• The story of the game was Baltimore’s defense, which finished with 11 sacks, a franchise record. Za’Darius Smith and Patrick Onwuasor had multiple sacks in the contest.

• The Ravens defense was outstanding, but the offense did its part as well, especially early on. They were 8 of 9 on third downs in the first half. Their first drive, as mentioned earlier, was a 94-yard, 17-play drive that resulted in a score. The offensive line kept Flacco upright as he was not sacked and was hit only once throughout the game.

• Baltimore was able to run the ball successfully (35 carries for 132 yards) and control the game. The time of possession discrepancy was big as the Ravens possessed the ball for 37:34 to the Titans’ 22:26.

• Tennessee’s best field position was its own 35-yard line. The Ravens punt/punt cover units were outstanding. The Ravens emphasize special teams. It shows nearly each and every week.

TENNESSEE
• This was the second straight loss for the Titans, who now head to London to play the Los Angeles Chargers. They are still tied for first place in the AFC South at 3-3 and they have the tiebreakers over Houston and Jacksonville, having beaten those teams earlier this season. However, after a promising start to the season, the Titans are slumping. They need to fix this offense.

• They have not scored a touchdown in October, and haven’t scored a touchdown in three of their last four games.

• The Titans offense was woeful. Marcus Mariota was 10 of 15 for 117 yards while the two lead running backs, Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis, combined for 12 carries for 30 yards. They generated only seven first downs, 106 total yards and punted nine times on nine possessions.

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